Antiseptic dressing.



BENJAMIN F. CARY, OF ELMIRA, NEW YORK.

ANTISEPTIC DRESSING.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. CARY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elmira, in the county of Chemung and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Antiseptic Dressing, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my improvement is to provide an efficiently antiseptic surgical dressing in a form convenient for application to wounds or sores of any character, which shall be bland and soothing as well as healing in operation, and shall not act as a retentive of exudations from the wound but shall permit the free escape of any serum.

Heretofore the employment of various mineral powders, such as bismuth, mixed with a healing agent, has been proposed as a form of dressing. In this case the powder acts simply as a carrier for the antiseptic which is intended to be absorbed therefrom. The action of these is not, however, desirable since on account of their mechanical formation and their high specific gravity such powders have an irritative effect upon the raw, sensitive tissues, and moreover tend to form a pasty mass with the exudations from the wound, which hardens, thus scaling up any latent infection that may exist and causing the formation of pus. The antiseptic properties of iodin are Well known though its free use has been restricted because of its caustic quality. While iodin may be mixed with a mineral powder as a carrier, subject to the objections mentioned above, the lighter vegetable powders cannot, as a class, be used with it for this purpose because of the reaction between the iodin and the starch of the powder. I have found, however, that by mixing iodin with lycopodium powder an antiseptic dressing 1s obtained of a desirable form mechanically, from which the antiseptic effect of the iodin is fully realized and which does not cake or crust but is continuously permeable to the exudations from tissue surfaces. Moreover, when such a mixture is properly prepared the contained lycop0-- dium oil reacts upon the'iodin in such manner. that the caustic quality of the iodin is eliminated and the dressing has a soothing or anesthetic eflect upon the surface to which it is applied.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 21, 1915. Serial No. 22,761.

The preferred mode of procedure in forming the mixture is as follows: A solution is first formed of iodin with a volatile liquid of such nature that it will when ap plied thereto, permeate the mass and penetrate the individual sporules of the lycopodlum powder, to the end of bringing the iodin into contact with the contained oil. Preferably, for this purpose, I use sulfuric ether, though other volatile solvents of iodin, such as chloroform, alcohol, carbon tetrachlorid, carbon disulfid, etc., may be employed With desirable results. The solution is then thoroughly mixed with steri lized lycopodium powder in such proportions as to givethe desired strength of iodin, usually five per cent, in the finished product. The mixture is then allowed to stand until the lycopodium sporules are thoroughly penetrated by the solution and the contained oil is iodized. The volatile solvent is then vaporized and the dried powder is sifted through a fine screen. It is then placed in closed containers and heated to 150 F. to perfect the iodization of the oil, which it is ready for use. The antiseptic dressing thus prepared is stable and gradually gives up its iodin content in use. It is readily tolerated by the most sensitive surfaces and does not operate to prevent the escape of exudations from the surface under treatment, the advantages of which will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An antiseptic dressing composed of iodin and lycopodium powder and having the oil of lycopodium in combination with the iodin.

2. An antiseptic dressing composed of iodin and lycopodium powder and having the sporules of the powder penetrated by the iodin whereby the lycopodium oil is iodized.

3. An antiseptic dressing composed of iodin, lycopodium powder and iodized lycopodium oil.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name, this 14th day of April,

BENJAMIN F. CARY. Witness:

JOHNSON BEERS.

Commissioner of Patenta,

Washington, D. G. 

